MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana has a chance to turn the page on a frustrating loss and keep its place near the top of the Big Sky Conference when it hosts Idaho on Saturday.
The No. 7 Grizzlies enter the Little Brown Stein game 5-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play after falling 49-44 at Northern Arizona. The Vandals are 1-5 overall and 1-2 in the Big Sky, but their record doesn’t tell the whole story: Idaho upset then No. 1 Montana State 35-34 on Oct. 2, ending the Bobcats’ 19 game winning streak.
Montana’s immediate challenge is containing Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood, who can hurt defenses through the air and on the ground. Wood has thrown for 1,703 yards and nine touchdowns and added seven rushing scores. He passed for more than 300 yards in the win over Montana State and threw for 383 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 38-27 loss at Weber State. Idaho receivers Tony Harste and Ryan Jezioro give him experienced targets…